Generic word for room - ἡ μονή?

[Jonathan Robie]

I am teaching phrases like ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον and Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν. My ability to move into and out of the world is limited, but I can easily move into and out of a room, so I thought I would teach starting with that.

Ah, but what is the best word for the kind of room we have classes in? ἡ μονή? That seems wrong because it implies a room in a dwelling, but the other words I know also seem to imply specific rooms in a house, etc. Is there anything like a neutral room that describes just any room?

[Stephen Hughes]

θύρα implies "room". It seems that idiomatic Greek refers to the entrance into the (generic) space, while English tends to talk about what is entered into.

If you were writing English, would you say, "the cells were open", "the cell doors were open", or "the doors of the prison were open" for καὶ ἰδὼν ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆ (Acts 16:27)? "Cell" is implied by the context of "prison", but not stated.

[Wes Wood]

The word(s) that I would most likely use for 'room' would be 'ὁ θάλαμος' or 'τό δωμάτιον'. I believe both of these are still used in the Koine period. However, the word I think that fits best for your usage would be 'τό ταμεῖον'.

Luke 12:3 "ἀνθ᾿ ὧν ὅσα ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ εἴπατε ἐν τῷ φωτὶ ἀκουσθήσεται, καὶ ὃ πρὸς τὸ οὖς ἐλαλήσατε ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις κηρυχθήσεται ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων."

Though I agree with Stephen to a certain degree, I think that the general arrangement of Greek houses, coupled with the knowledge that there were areas of the house that were off-limits to visitors* explains many of the differences from English to Greek. As another idiomatic option you might follow Josephus' lead, "ὁ δὲ σύρας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ μυχαίτατον τῆς οἰκίας καὶ τὴν αὔλειον ἀποκλείσας ἐμαστίγωσεν, μέχρι πάντων τὰ σπλάγχνα γυμνῶσαι: περιειστήκει δὲ τέως τὸ πλῆθος δικαιολογεῖσθαι μακρότερα τοὺς εἰσελθόντας οἰόμενον."

*I know this was true in earlier Greek homes, but I suspect it was still true in New Testament times.

[Paul-Nitz]

I often just use τόπος - place.

[Shirley Rollinson]

I use oikos or oikia - they can go away from, out of, towards, into, or be in the house.
The "Teafh Yourself Greek" book has an amusing set of cartoons of a man and a lion - towards the lion, with the lion, around the lion, under the lion, on the lion (riding on its back), into the lion (lion swallowing man), inside the lion (very bulgy lion), out of the lion (lion throwing up), away from the lion (man running away)

Shirley Rollinson

[Paul-Nitz]

Lion, Mouse, Prepositions